Equal Pay for Women and Men

Equal Pay Day was yesterday, and I want to first say I am for “equal pay” for all people and do not expect anything less. I must add though that equal pay means equal pay for everyone in the same job with the same experience and work effort.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting once again on the wage gap between men and women. They point to an instance in which a women found out that she had the same degree and work effort as men who she supervised but was paid less. If all things are truly equal, then I would agree it appears that this women was paid less then she should have been paid.

That said one, two or dozens of these situations does not mean it is a trend, it means the companies they worked for are guilty of treating those women unfairly and should be held accountable if it is against the law. Pointing to a few of these instances does not, in my opinion, mean it is happening everywhere.

The article informs us that the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 Current Population Survey of workers ages 15 and older finds that “nationally, full-time, year-round female workers are paid 79 cents for every dollar full-time, year-round male employees are paid”. Also according to the American Association of University Women's study report in Michigan, the gap is larger: “Women are paid 75 cents for every dollar men are paid.

The chairwoman of the National Committee on Pay Equity was quoted in the article:

Every study that has tried to control for every factor — and there are legitimate reasons for differences like education, experience and productivity — but even factoring in all of those, there’s always a certain percentage of the pay gap that can’t be explained